The Star Road

Friday, November 06, 2009

1.) Nicor by Matthew W. Quinn2.) Where Dragons Fear to Tread by Christine Lucas3.) Rite of Life-Giving by Barbara A. Barnett4.) Requiem by Wesley Lambert5.) The Legacy of a Distant Treasure by Bruce Durham6.) Medallions of Lashiva by T. W. Anderson7.) The Ferrymaster’s Toll by Seth Skorkowsky8.) The Widow of The Reach by Martin Turton9.) In the Belly of the Beast by Larry Hodges10.) By Shackle and Lash by Euan Harvey11.) Petition by L. S. King12.) Black Silver by Shawn Neely13.) Fraker the Axe: Bandits and Demons II by Tim Willard

Thursday, April 17, 2008

The Return of the Sword is an anthology from Cyberwizard Productions, edited by Jason M. Waltz. Mr. Waltz deserves accolades for selecting such a large number of quality stories for a single publication. This rivals (and even surpasses) some entries in Andrew Offutt’s Swords Against Darkness series, of which I’m also fond. I’ll offer brief comments about each story in this action-packed tome.

“Altar of the Moon,” by Stacey Berg: I enjoyed this smoothly written tale of confrontation, hinting at even more good things to come.

“The Wyrd of War,” by Bill Ward: One of my favorites in the anthology. I liked the evocative language, and the grim, epic nature of the plot.

“The Last Scream of Carnage,” by Phil Emery: A good, solid sword and sorcery yarn, with a shady lead character. I must admit that the experimental aspects of its telling added little for me; however, neither did they serve as stumbling blocks for this reader.

“The Battle of Raven Kill,” by Jeff Draper: A good offering about making a stand. Fast-paced adventure!

“Fatefist at Torkas Nahl,” by David Pitchford: Another sprawling epic packed into short fiction length. Imagine Cecil B. DeMille helming a heroic fantasy. I’m leaning toward this one as the anthology’s top story; it’s a difficult decision, though. It’s a matter of drawing comparisons between “good” and “better.”

“Deep in the Land of the Ice and Snow,” by Ty Johnston: Well-paced slashery. I especially enjoyed the fitting title, and the thoughtful conclusion.

“Mountain Scarab,” by Jeff Stewart: My second-favorite story of this distinguished bunch. Greed, swordplay, treachery, humor—this one has it all.

“Lair of the Cherufe,” by Angeline Hawkes: This is the first time I’ve read one of Ms. Hawkes’ stories, and I wasn’t disappointed. So much action, your head will spin!

“To Be A Man,” by Robert Rhodes: I’m not a fan of stories with strong sexual content; never have been. That aside, the tale is well-told, with moments of humor, throughout.

“Storytelling,” by E.E. Knight: An informative article about the process of constructing stories that people actually like to read. Filled with useful advice, no matter which genre you call your playground.

“The Red Worm’s Way,” by James Enge: I loved the first sentence of this story. Now that’s how you hook ‘em and reel ‘em in! The villains were unusual and memorable, as well.

“To Destroy All Flesh,” by Michael Ehart: Further compelling adventures of Ninshi, from The Servant of the Manthycore. If you like heroic fantasy—and I’m assuming you do, if you’re giving this review the time of day—then I highly recommend Mr. Ehart’s book. Bloodshed and pathos, my friends.

“Guardian of Rage,” by Thomas MacKay: Heere there be swords and darkness and cramped spaces, and a beastie straight out of Lovecraft’s nightmares. Even Conan couldn’t ask for more.

“Claimed by Birthright,” by Christopher Heath: An interesting story about a dueling barbarian and sorcerer. Very well-done, Mr. Heath!

“The Hand that Holds the Crown,” by Nathan Meyer: Great battle descriptions. In fact, practically the entire story is one big brawl. I liked the attention to detail.

“The Dawn Tree,” by S.C. Bryce: That settles it; I must delve into the Flashing Swords archives and read some other Dermanassian tales. This was an unusual story written with style.

“An Uneasy Truce in Ulam-Bator,” by Allen B. Lloyd and William Clunie: Lots of fun adventure, here. I hope to see more from this duo—the characters, and the authors.

“The Mask Oath,” by Steve Goble: In the top five best stories in this collection. I look forward to more revelations about the Faceless Sons. The main character’s inner life--as well as the perils he endures--makes for captivating reading.

“Valley of Bones,” by Bruce Durham: I’ve never been let down by one of Mr. Durham’s tales, having read several in the pages of Flashing Swords. He has a talent for telling stories at a dizzying pace. This one is no exception. Herein is a look at warfare from the common man’s perspective.

“Red Hands,” by Harold Lamb: Any editor who recognizes Mr. Lamb’s talent is O.K. in my book. Years ago, I delved into his biographies of Alexander and Genghis Khan, as well as his Crusades histories, unaware that he also excelled in the art of writing fantastic short fiction. Thanks to Howard Andrew Jones, I have his complete Cossack tales. I’ve never read a mediocre Lamb story, and I envy those of you coming to his writings for the first time. A nice way to round out the book.

I found value in every story in this anthology. Some ranked higher than others, but all brought something to the sword-master’s table.

Do yourself a favor and procure a copy for your bookshelf, today. Otherwise, I’ll tell Solomon Kane that you’re a werewolf. Do you have any idea what he does to those poor critters?

Saturday, May 05, 2007

I received the contract for my nautical horror story, "A Darkness on the Deep," which will appear in the next few months in the print anthology, Strange Stories of Sand and Sea, edited by Esther Schrader. I'll add updates when I learn more precise information about a date of publication.

"Star-Crossed"--poem in Tales of the Talisman Vol. 2 Issue 2 (print)."Haints of the Hills," and "The Far Side of Nowhere"--two poems in The Mount Zion Speculative Fiction Review Spring 2006 Issue (print).

Untitled haiku in Scifaikuest, November 2006 Issue (print).

"Not So Well-Done"--poem in the Appalling Limericks anthology, October 2006 (print).

"Full Moon"--story in The Shantytown Anomaly, Issue 3 (print).

Untitled haiku in Scifaikuest Special Edition, August 2006, (DVD-ROM).

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Here are direct links to a few of my stories and poems currently available online. I hope everyone gets a kick out of these:

"Plausible Deniability" (flash fiction) and "The Dragon" (poem) available atFrom the Asylum (online). Just click on "Monthly Fiction," on the left, then click on "Review the fiction of 2004." The story is available under July's fiction, and the poem is under November's offerings. *

* For some reason, this website doesn't seem to have individual webpages for its fiction and poetry. Otherwise, I'd directly link to them. I'm sorry about that, but finding them should offer a minimum of headaches.

"The Cross" (poem) and "Mary's Pledge" (poem), both found at God's Love. (Click "Enter Here," then "Index," then "Poetry." This should give you easy access to these poems). "Scottish Lament" (poem) at Contemporary Rhyme. (Scroll down, near the bottom).

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Hello, all! This is the online home of Wesley Lambert, speculative fiction and poetry author. Please feel free to leave comments, constructive criticism, suggestions, or other feedback regarding my writings, as you see fit.

My plan is to post regularly on new work as it appears online or in print, with the needed details for viewing or purchasing. This blog is a work-in-progress, so bear with me. I'll post a complete fiction and poetry bibliography, as well as other related links, ASAP.